CSR Ethanol has become the official fuel supplier of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in a deal set to reduce greenhouse emissions from V8 Supercars racing in Australia and overseas in 2009 and beyond.

CSR Ethanol joined the V8 Supercars Championship Series at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 for the announcement of its role as the official fuel sponsor of the sport and of the CSR V8 Racing Green carbon offset program for the next three years.

The fuel to be used by the high performance V8 Supercars from the start of the 2009 season is E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded petrol. E85’s high concentrate of ethanol is great news for the environment.

Ian Glasson CEO of CSR Sugar, said “We are excited to support the V8 Supercar series. Every litre of E85 made from CSR Ethanol produces less than half the CO2 emissions as one litre of petrol so this move will help them reduce the racing CO2 emissions of the V8 Supercars by over 50%.”

The deal marks another milestone for V8 Supercars Australia in improving the environmentally friendliness of its sport while sending a strong message to millions of followers that ethanol is a fully viable petrol alternative for road cars.

“We are in the business of motorsport which will always rely on fuel as its main source of energy but it is time for us to set an example to the wider community to strongly consider ethanol as an alternative fuel,” V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane said.

“If a fully engineered V8 Supercar can be powered by a majority ethanol fuel blend, we encourage all Australians to make the switch to an ethanol blend to help sustain the environment.

“Over time we believe that ethanol will become the fuel of choice and will be available at more retail outlets so we encourage everybody to start using ethanol in their everyday lives.”

The E85 blend has undergone rigorous testing in Queensland by the Stone Brothers Racing and TeamVodafone teams including full dyno testing and on track in the V8 Supercar of Craig Lowndes at Queensland Raceway. Testing has shown it will easily convert to the most sophisticated of V8 Supercar engines.

“This is a great outcome for the sport and the environment,” Lowndes said.

“I noticed absolutely no difference in power or performance between the ethanol fuel and our current petrol blend. What we did notice was the massive reduction in exhaust fumes and how much cleaner the E85 burns. It was very dramatic.”

Not only will all V8s and safety vehicles be running exclusively on E85, the CSR Ethanol brand will also play an active role in growing the V8 Racing Green carbon offset and education program launched by V8 Supercars Australia last year.

The V8 Supercars Championship Series includes 14 events on its annual calendar which incorporates this weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the inaugural Townsville 400 in July 2009. All V8 teams involved in the Series will be using E85 from March 2009.

Although E85 is not currently available at many service stations, E10 is sold at over 800 retail outlets across Australia. Most cars in Australia that have been made to run on unleaded petrol are suitable to run on ethanol blended fuel such as E5 and E10. To check the compatibility of your make and model visit www.ethanolfacts.com.au.

CSR Ethanol is a renewable, fuel source made in Australia from a non-edible by-product from the crushing of the sugarcane crops of Australian farmers during the sugar refining process. Locally, Australian drivers’ demand for ethanol blended petrol has grown by more than 500% over the last three years, making ethanol blended petrol the most widely used biofuel in Australia.